Kyoko and Anko Mitarashi's powerful taijutsu had caught Kazuma and his men completely off guard.
Hearing Kazuma's question about her clan, Kyoko remained silent, her eyes fixed warily on the enemy.
"Hey! Are you gonna fight or just stand there talking trash?" Anko taunted impatiently from the side. Based on their brief clash, Anko had already formed an opinion: these so-called Guardian Shinobi Twelve seemed pretty weak.
Faced with Anko's provocation, Kazuma's face darkened, but he didn't make another move.
Swish~ Swish~ Swish~
Behind them, a series of whooshing sounds announced the arrival of reinforcements. Alerted by the commotion, the Lightning Four had arrived.
"What happened?" Kitane asked gravely, taking in the signs of battle and Fudo's body lying discarded beneath a tree.
Kazuma hesitated for several seconds before admitting, "These two are very strong!" He felt a surge of embarrassment; he hadn't intended to involve the Lightning Four when setting this ambush, and the current situation reflected poorly on him.
"Kyoko, I think we should pull back for now," Anko whispered quickly, her taunting expression vanishing the moment she saw the four newcomers arrive. As much as she wanted a full-blown fight, she wouldn't risk Kyoko's safety, or her own.
"Go!" Kyoko said decisively, flashing backwards in retreat without hesitation.
Anko looked momentarily surprised by Kyoko's quick agreement, then immediately followed suit.
"What do we do? If they get back to the village, our movements will be completely exposed!" Otake Shun demanded, turning anxiously to Kazuma as they watched the two women rapidly disappear.
Kazuma gritted his teeth and shook his head. "We're too close to Konoha. Pursuing rashly could easily lead us into a major encirclement." His voice was thick with palpable hatred and unwilling resentment. Their plan, foiled before it could even be implemented, thwarted by two inexplicable Konoha kunoichi. The worst part was, these two women were absurdly strong – perhaps even stronger than Asuma or Chiriku. Now that their presence was known, lingering here was tantamount to suicide.
Realizing this, Kazuma gave the grim order, "We withdraw immediately."
Swiftly, the remaining ten members of the group vanished into the trees.
After both groups departed, silence returned to the forest.
Several seconds later, a figure emerged from beside a large tree.
It was Uchiha Misuke.
She had been tailing Kyoko and Anko the entire time. Misuke had noticed Anko following her when she left the Yakiniku earlier. Subsequently, she'd observed Anko tracking Kazuma's man, returning to the village, and then leaving again with Kyoko in tow. Worried that the two might run into trouble, Misuke had remained hidden nearby, observing everything.
Watching Kazuma's group retreat, a thoughtful expression crossed Misuke's face. She was aware of the recent political upheaval in the Land of Fire's capital city. These ten members of the Daimyo's Guardian Shinobi Twelve had clearly come with ill intent, yet, unexpectedly, they had been scared off by Kyoko and Anko. Those Guardian members must feel utterly humiliated right now, she mused. A beautiful, faint smile curved her lips as she, too, vanished from the clearing.
Kyoko and Anko hurried back to the village, making a beeline straight for the Hokage Tower. The fact that their opponents had immediately tried to kill them upon being discovered clearly indicated malicious intent.
Just as they entered the Hokage Tower, a voice called out to them.
"Kyoko, Anko, what brings you two here?"
The speaker was Nara Shikaku.
"Shikaku-san," Kyoko greeted immediately, bowing respectfully.
"Lord Shikaku," Anko added, also bowing politely.
Both women held Nara Shikaku in high regard; he was not only the current head of the Nara clan but also Konoha's Jonin Commander.
"No need for formalities," Shikaku waved dismissively, his sharp eyes assessing their hurried state. "What's going on?" He knew very well that neither of them frequented the Hokage Tower. Anko had come a few times since joining Kurenai's team, but Kyoko hadn't set foot inside for over two years. He was curious about what could have prompted such an urgent visit.
"Lord Shikaku, we have urgent information to report to Lord Hokage," Anko stated quickly.
Kyoko added, "It concerns the Daimyo's Guardian Shinobi Twelve."
Hearing this, Shikaku's expression instantly turned serious. "Come," he said without preamble, "I'll take you to the Hokage's office."
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage listened intently to the two women's report, then fell into deep contemplation. Kyoko, Anko, and Shikaku stood waiting in silence.
After a long moment, Hiruzen let out a faint sigh and looked up. His gaze lingered on Kyoko and Anko, a peculiar light in his eyes. It seemed they had all significantly underestimated the strength of these two. If their account wasn't exaggerated, their abilities far surpassed those of an ordinary Jonin.
Pondering this, Hiruzen finally spoke. "You said you already fought with the Guardian Shinobi Twelve. What was your impression?"
Before Kyoko could formulate a response, Anko blurted out frankly, "They seemed pretty weak."
At her words, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly, and the corner of Shikaku's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Half an hour later, Nara Shikaku escorted Kyoko and Anko out of the Hokage Tower.
"Shikaku-san, thank you for your trouble," Kyoko said sweetly, bowing again at the entrance.
"It's part of my duty, no need to be so polite," Shikaku replied with a warm smile. "Kyoko, you should give Lord Hokage's earlier proposal some thought."
Kyoko's eyes flickered thoughtfully. "Okay, Shikaku-san, I will consider it carefully," she nodded. With that, she took Anko's arm and turned to leave.
Standing at the entrance of the Hokage Tower, Shikaku watched them go, a wistful expression on his face. Because of Tatsuya's influence, the younger generation of the Yamanaka and Nara clans, vital parts of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, were being completely overshadowed. Perhaps, he mused, the Yamanaka and Nara clans should also consider sending their most talented youngsters to Tatsuya for training...
Walking side-by-side down the street, Anko turned to Kyoko.
"Hey, Kyoko," she began tentatively, lowering her voice slightly, "that proposal from Lord Hokage... it actually sounded pretty good. Are you gonna give it a try?"
"Hm?" Kyoko turned, blinking her large eyes at Anko. "Do you want me to go?"
"Yeah, yeah! I think you should totally give it a shot!" Anko nodded eagerly. She had always hated seeing Kyoko waste her best years cooped up in a pet shop and a restaurant. It's all that guy's fault! Why should a perfectly capable ninja end up playing shopkeeper?
"Is that so?" Kyoko murmured softly, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.